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Spectrum enthousiasts competing eachother on eBay?

bversteebverstee
edited May 2010 in Sales
I'm offering the complete DivIDE interface, with card adapter and 512MB CF card on eBay.

Recently I saw that another seller, ukentv, started selling some.
His advertisement sais: "Only 10 adapters left, do not hesitate!".
http://cgi.ebay.nl/DIVIDE-MEMORYCARD-ADAPTER-FOR-ANY-ZX-SPECTRUM-COMPUTER-/330433646185?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_VintageComputing_RL&hash=item4cef614e69

Of course I don't mind someone else sells these interfaces.
And his offer does not include a CF card.
So I thought that allthough my price is slightly higher, after he sells 10, people will come to me again.

But now I discovered he offered another batch.
And again it sais there are only 10 left.

Even 'worse', this seller has bought 2 of mine DivIDE interfaces, I have no idea why, except maybe he had troubles getting his DivIDE interface to work and needed some comparison.


Again, everyone is free to offer whatever he wants to whatever price he wants.
But his offer is misleading: he obviously has more than 10 interfaces.

Now I'm not selling any DivIDE anymore.
I can lower my price of course, so maybe I will.
But as hobby enthousiasts I don't understand why someone is trying to get me 'out of the market' as he MUST know he is doing that at the moment (because he bought some of mine).


I was thinking of manufacturing 50 more DivIDE interfaces, but now I'm doubting..
So maybe i won't.


Any thouhgts of you guys about this matter?
I can understand when you think I'm worrying about something noone can do anything about. But I'm just making others happy with manufacturing these interfaces. And now I can't... :(
Post edited by bverstee on

Comments

  • Dave FountainDave Fountain
    edited May 2010
    These things are still selling to original hands-on Spectrum users? Forgive my ignorance I guess they must be. Well my advice would be don't sell this guy anything else, although you are both contributing to a hobby scene with good intention it should still be looked on as a business model, his actions are causing upset to your model. I would not supply my competitor with spare parts etc. Look at your margins and see if you can supply it cheaper, but as you say your product comes with the card. I would just wait a few weeks for this maverick to move to something else and then you should be able to resume your good work.
  • fogfog
    edited May 2010
    I undercut people I am "competing" with on tapes, I am a hobbiest and they are just doubles I want rid of (but I'm not a charity).. but not extremely..e.g. they have the option to "buy now" , so if someone wants to pay 20-30p more for that then fair enough.. also the same people I buy off as well.

    on the other hand someone lists things and undercuts everyone by a lot.. again thats down to them, but they mustn't be making a lot or getting games ultra cheap, so to get that sale they prolly have a franking machine etc (cheaper postage)

    as for divide +.. well I live local to zaxon , so I'd buy mine direct :) and the one it watford isn't too far either hehe.. but the other seller your on about is polish also? so it wouldn't cost a lot to get pcb's made up over there.

    if they are buying from you solely for profit, then don't sell them to them? but then they just get someone else to buy for them... it's like I have a bidder who didn't pay on ebay and he obviously got his girlfriend to bid for him.. they made it really obvious.. I blocked the 2... he then got another to bid on the exact same thing.. that time I let it go, but then I've blocked em..

    the design for the divide is easy to get, so it's not like people can't get access to make them up is it? more your paying for the effort for someone to solder / get the pcb's made up. maybe they bought yours just to find out how they make em, reverse engineer them?

    it's a free market on ebay, and you'll always get someone who undercuts you.. as a buyer it's great.. as a seller not really.
  • zeropolis79zeropolis79
    edited May 2010
    bverstee wrote: »
    I was thinking of manufacturing 50 more DivIDE interfaces, but now I'm doubting..
    So maybe i won't.


    Any thouhgts of you guys about this matter?
    I can understand when you think I'm worrying about something noone can do anything about. But I'm just making others happy with manufacturing these interfaces. And now I can't... :(

    I'd rather buy an interface from the person behind it, that way I know I'm getting quality and the fact it comes with a CF card is a bonus..

    If you ever put one up on eBay again, I'll buy it, I just don't have the time I used to in order to make things..
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    edited May 2010
    ive been thinking about buying a divide....when i can afford it (normally there about ?40??)
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • zxbrunozxbruno
    edited May 2010
    "WHAT AM I BIDDING ON THIS AUCTION ?"

    "Rare!! Only 10 adapters left. Do not hesitate!"

    "THERE WILL BE NO MORE! THIS IS THE LAST AUCTION"

    facepalm.gif

    And I thought "R@re, L@@K" was already bad enough...

    That guy doesn't have a very good feedback, and buyers can see that. Follow the advice the advice fog and Dave Mountain gave you. There are DivIDE sellers, but people will look for quality and good references, not just the price. Another thing that helps is word of mouth. When someone asks me where they can get this or that for their Speccy I tell them about the sellers that I trust.
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